The Senate passed the Respect for Marriage Act on Tuesday, November 29th, 2022, in a bipartisan 61-36 vote. The bill, originally passed in the House, will codify federal recognition of same-sex marriage. It received bipartisan support because of added measures on religious liberty protections. House leadership has scheduled a vote on the amended bill next week.
The Respect for Marriage Act will repeal the 1996 law known as the Defense of Marriage Act that the Supreme Court found to be largely unconstitutional in a 2013 decision. It would also codify federal recognition of same-sex marriages that are legal in the state where the marriage was performed. It is hoped that this bill will ease concerns that the Supreme Court may revisit its decisions that protected same sex and interracial marriage as Constitutional Rights.
